


Changes

by lactoseintolerantmilkshakeenthusiast



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 00:42:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17991611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lactoseintolerantmilkshakeenthusiast/pseuds/lactoseintolerantmilkshakeenthusiast
Summary: Kinda just threw it together. Surprised I hit a thousand words. Have fun.





	Changes

This was bad. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't _want_ to be here. And yet…

“Hey… Jet.”

“Uh, hi, Lee. How's uh, ho-how are--”

“What can I get for you?”

Obviously this wasn't a pleasant surprise. He thought enough time had passed, but apparently Lee held grudges. But he was here to fix that, hopefully. So maybe play at his speed, at least for now.

“Uh, I'll just have some ginger tea with a bit of mint.”

Lee wrote down his order before silently taking his menu and heading back to the kitchen. Jet awkwardly waved when Mushi looked out into the dining room, a gesture which was returned in earnest. He smiled. Why would he ever think they could be firebenders? They're too innocent -- or, at least, Mushi is. Lee seems jaded, as Jet once was. But no matter. He's here to start over, try actually talking to him; no more “freedom fighters.”

Er, well, Longshot and Smellerbee were still there, but none of them were wearing armor or weapons. They blended into the crowd now, rather than the wilderness. And Jet felt good about it. Relieved, even. So now he wanted to meet Lee all over again. Something about him just wouldn't get the idea out of his head.

“I think he might be a lost cause, Jet,” Smellerbee said. “I don't think he wants to see us. Or you.”

“He doesn't want to see the Jet he met at the station that talked about vigilante justice, and he won't,” he replied, an optimistic tinge to his voice. “Because that Jet isn't around anymore, remember? Just give it time.” His attention quickly moved back to Lee as he brought their tea.

“So, Lee, how has Ba Sing Se been treating you?” Smellerbee asked.

“Fine, I guess,” he said as he attempted to walk away, only to be shooed into the empty seat by his uncle, who muttered something about it not being that busy. He sighed. Looked around. Then said, “Seems like you're all doing okay.”

“Never better,” Jet beamed. “In fact, we're all gonna go to the Summer Festival later tonight. Wanna come with?”

Lee noticed Smellerbee and Longshot share a “this wasn't planned” look. He started to scratch the back of his neck.

“Uh, I kinda have pla--”

“No he doesn't!” Mushi shouted from a few tables down. Lee just closed his eyes in defeat as the others laughed.

“C'mon, Lee, it'll be fun. Promise.”

* * *

 

It took a while for Lee to loosen up, but once he did, it was like whatever happened to make him so sour to be around had completely been reversed. He made dumb remarks, he pointed at phallic things and chuckled along with the group, you know. Teenager things.

“How long have you guys been a thing?” he asked upon seeing Smellerbee and Longshot arm-in-arm.

“Oh, years,” she said, “it's just so nice to be comfortable and not afraid of an attack at any moment now, isn't it?” The pair smiled and touched foreheads affectionately.

“Yeah, I miss that,” Lee said, reflecting.

“You've been with someone, mister ‘I need to be kicked out by my uncle to do anything remotely social’?” Jet teased.

“Oh, ha, ha. Yes, I had a girlfriend back home. I mean, it wasn't for very long and it was a long time ago, so we weren't really…” he gestured to Longshot and Smellerbee, “that. But yeah. I miss it.”

“So you don't miss her?” Smellerbee asked. She was met with a puzzled look; Lee had clearly never given that very much thought before.

“Ooh, candy!” She said, pulling Longshot by his elbow in a mad dash to fill her sweet tooth (and to leave the awkward silence she caused).

Jet chuckled, grabbing Lee's shoulder to hold him back.

“Uh, hey, can we talk?”

“Uh. Sure.”

Jet led him through the crowd to an alley just outside the festival. Private. Not what he expected.

“I want to apologize,” he started off, “I thought I was in a much better place when we came here, and I sort of was but I also wasn't, and I almost pulled you into it. I'm sorry for that. But now I'm in an even better place, so I think I want to try again. Cause believe it or not, Lee… I like you.”

“I accept your apology, Jet,” he said, unsure of where to go from here. “And yeah, I think you're cool, too. But I just know that I'm not going to be here for very long--”

“So that means you can't enjoy it?” Jet interjected. “Look, Lee, whatever reservations you have are perfectly valid, and I don't need to know them if you don't want me to, but just--”

“Look, I get what you're saying. My uncle's been saying the same thing. But I don't want to have ties to anywhere but home.”

“And where is that?”

Lee bit his lip, perhaps to prevent himself from swearing aloud.

“You wouldn't understand,” he sighed.

“Then help me understand. I'm a lot more sensible now, I mean, come on, I once thought you and your uncle were Fire Nation!” Jet laughed at the absurdity, and trailed off as he realized Lee was not laughing.

Lee looked around, before holding out his palm, out of which sprung a small flame. Jet was taken aback; he stared at the boy before him in shock.

“My name given at birth is Zuko,” he said as he cut off the flame and put his hands in his pockets. “As for my ties to my homeland, I'm not going to tell you. I don't even know why I just did that. But the point is, it's just like any other place on this planet. And I haven't been there for a long time.”

Jet watched the expressions on Zuko's face. As vague and stern as he was, this was him being vulnerable. And why he would instinctively choose to be vulnerable here and now is a mystery to the both of them, this he knew. Jet put his hand on Zuko's arm.

“You know, a few months ago, I would've--” He caught Zuko tensing up. “... well I'm sure you can imagine. But anyway, my point is… Zuko, that that doesn't matter to me anymore. I realized a while ago that there's probably tons of other refugees here from the Fire Nation, for one reason or another. So, for the time you're here, let's hang out.”

He smiled -- that charming, crooked, devilish smile that Zuko knew had to have made countless others melt inside, just as he was.

“Jet, don't, okay? I just--” he started fumbling.

“What? What am I doing?” Jet interrupted, teasing him in his flustered state.

“Stop talking like that! It's making me want to--” This time he cut himself off. He tried to walk away, but Jet stepped in front of him.

“What? Want to what?”

“Just let me--” He tried to push past.

“No. Tell me what you want to do.”

Zuko took Jet by the collar of his tunic and slammed him against the wall. Jet swore he saw sparks deep in his pupils, a firebender’s rage that he did nothing but abet.

But then something happened. His grip loosened, his face softened, he held Jet by the base of his head… and he kissed him. And Jet leaned into it, holding onto his hips and smiling.

It wasn't long before they parted. Zuko leaned into the crook of Jet's neck, and it was now Jet realized he was crying.

“Are you okay?”

Zuko pulled himself out of their embrace, rubbing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

“Is _this_ okay?” He asked, his voice quiet and wavering.

Jet frowned.

“Just like any other place, huh?”


End file.
